Foto: jolypics

At the very last moment, Nicola Wigger from Gibswil secured a place on the Swiss Olympic team. With a determinated race at the end of January in Goms, he achieved the second required result by finishing among the top 25, and will now compete in the distance races in Cortina. Which specific events he will take part in has yet to be decided.

Mass start race in Goms

One week before the home races in Goms, I was already feeling quite good. However, at the race in Oberhof I only managed to finish in 47th place. That's why I thought it would be almost impossible to achieve the required ranking. Still, I gathered up my courage and told myself “Let’s give it a try!”. With that in mind, I lined up at the start feeling positive. I got off to a good start and was able to fight my way forward. After the first lap, I realized that even though I was in 14th position, I still had plenty of energy left. During the third lap, it became clear to me: if I can hold this, then I’m going to the Olympic Games. So the race was already extremely emotional for me while it was still going on.

From Dream to Reality

It was only this week that I truly realized what I had achieved. It took a very long time for that to sink in. It’s wonderful to see that I’ve finally achieved what I worked towards for twelve or thirteen years. At the age of two, my parents put me on cross-country skis for the first time. Now, at 24, the moment has come: I get to take part in the Olympic Games. When I was 16 years old, this dream somehow felt closer than it did in recent years. I increasingly realized how difficult it is to break into the top 25. Nevertheless, I never lost my motivation and knew that, unlike in some other sports, I could continue to improve with more training experience and with increasing age.

Olympic Games Milan/Cortina

Last autumn, when I learned that the number of spots on the Swiss team would be reduced from eight to five, I thought it might be difficult for me. I had seen myself among the top eight, but the fact that I made it despite these stricter selection criteria and my challenging preparation, including a fractured sesamoid bone, makes me extremely proud.

Now I feel relaxed and very excited, which gives me a lot of energy. The great thing is: I’m not a top favourite at the Olympic Games. I can approach the races without pressure, and that could turn into my opportunity. The only pressure I really feel is when it comes to the relay, because this event is very special and want I to perform well there.

Equipment

In the past, my father used to tinker a lot with the equipment. However, for the past one or two years, SwissSki has been taking care of it. Our equipment team is excellent. The only country that might still have a slight edge over us is Norway. It’s important to know that without the right equipment, we don’t have any chance, no matter how good our form is. But we can always rely on the best equipment from our waxing team. They give their maximum effort until everything is perfect. For example, right after the races in the Goms, they headed straight to Cortina to have our skis perfectly prepared for the two weeks leading up to our first start.

Parents

My parents, who each competed three times in cross-country skiing at the Olympic Games, have always supported me. My mom also as a club coach and my dad as an equipment specialist. We have a very close relationship and stay in regular contact. Seeing my parents in the Goms was incredibly motivating for me. I wanted to show them that their support and belief in me had paid off and that I could finally give something back to them. They are very proud of me.

Classic or Skating

Both. My coach, Toni Livers, made it clear to me that I would need both techniques to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Olympic Games. For this reason, I invested a lot in skating, as this was still my weaker discipline. I did a lot of technical work and video analysis. In addition, I spent many hours training without ski poles and worked on the treadmill using roller skis.

Training Philosophy

I’m a big believer in consistency. Over many weeks, I train the same way, which allows me to directly see my progress in individual sessions. Typically, out of eleven to twelve training sessions per week, there are two interval sessions, one at and one above the anaerobic threshold, along with one to two strength sessions and possibly two sprint sessions. The rest of the training is done at an easy intensity, allowing me to save energy for the key, demanding workouts.

Key to Success

For me, the key to success is persistence and always giving your best. Most of the time, you reach your goal if you truly give everything you have. And if it still doesn’t work out, at least you can’t blame yourself for not having tried hard enough.

Strengths

My strengths are my relaxed mindset and my conviction that things will work out if I give my best. This positivity has always helped me and continuously pushed me forward.

Weakness

My main weakness is sprinting, particularly efforts of around three minutes. For example, I’ve never made it past the prologue in a sprint race. In cross-country skiing, if you’re not an absolute top talent, specialization is essential. That’s the path I’ve chosen, focusing on long-distance races and no longer prioritizing sprint events.

Relay

I’ve been fascinated by the relay ever since my U16 days. In an instant, you go from being an individual athlete to a team player. You try to do everything even better so the team can succeed. When that works, the emotions are much more intense because you get to share them.

Individual or Team

Cross-country skiing may be an individual sport, but we travel together as a team almost all year round and benefit enormously from one another, in every training session and beyond. I couldn’t imagine doing all of this on my own. Of course, it feels good to be the fastest Swiss athlete in a race, but we also celebrate each other’s successes. After all, we all share the goal of making cross-country skiing more popular and stronger in Switzerland. When another Swiss athlete finishes ahead of me, it shows me that it’s possible for me as well, and that’s incredibly motivating.

Intensity Control

I always train with a heart rate monitor, which gives me immediate feedback. Of course, over the years I’ve also developed a strong sense of my body, so I usually know roughly how high my heart rate is at any given moment.

Secret Tip

My Secret tip ? Getting polarization right : pushing hard during interval sessions and truly keeping easy sessions easy. That’s important at every level.

What’s Next ?

I would like to give individuals and companies the opportunity to support and accompany me on my journey. That’s why I have founded a supporters’ club. I would be happy if some of you visited my website: www.nicolawigger.com.